Swan Queen: Metal Edition
by Swedishgirl93
Summary: "Music is the art which is most nigh to tears and memory." - Oscar Wilde
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Time of Change**

The spring air was cold and sent shivers down Regina's spine as she walked on the slightly uneven sidewalk. It was 7:30 in the morning and her feet took her to the place where she would be spending her last few months of high school. She and her mother had been moving here a couple of days ago, due to her job in the trading business. This was the fourth time they had been moving, and Regina hated it.

Regina looked into the display windows of the stores that she passed. Yesterday, she and her mother had been given a tour around the city center, learning about some of the town's history and also where Regina would be going to school.

Regina saw how the red brick building came into view. The busy morning traffic and yellow buses passed it on their way to their final destinations.

Regina swallowed and tried to calm down the nervousness she felt. It was never easy to transfer to a new school, to have everyone's eyes on you, judging you.

After the first two moves, Regina simply stopped trying to make friends with anyone, knowing very well how much it hurt to say goodbye.

Regina spotted the red glass door where she would be meeting one of her new teachers. She breathed in deeply before she grabbed the handle and swung the door open. A small entrance greeted her, with white walls and another red door. Other students pushed their way past her and made their way to their lockers. Regina's eyes scanned her surroundings and soon faced a young woman who seemed to be looking for something.

"You must be Regina Mills, my new student." the woman said and stepped up to Regina and held out her hand.

"My name is Belle and I will be your teacher in civics and history."

Regina smiled politely and shook the woman's hand, feeling how her heart became lighter at the warm welcoming.

"I will show you the classroom where your first lesson will be held. Luckily for you, this lesson will be held by me." Belle said and smiled brightly.

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After finding her locker, and putting her purse and coat inside, Regina sat on one of the worn-down benches and waited for the door to open up to the classroom. In the corner of her eye, she saw how some of the other students shoot glances at her, and exchanged hushed whispers between each other.

Regina sat with her back straight and chin held high. She would simply ignore these people during the four months she had left of high school. Regina was used to being on her own anyway.

The door swung open and Regina came face to face with Belle, who gave her the same genuine smile she had been given her when she first greeted her.

Regina rose from the bench stepped over the threshold. The room was small, with mustard colored walls, and with a map of the town hanging in the back. Regina took a seat at the front of the room, to the right of the teacher's desk. She saw how the other students walked in with slumped shoulders, obviously tired. Regina never had a problem with the 8 o'clock lessons; she was a morning person and never had any problems getting up.

When everyone had entered, Belle closed the door and put her books and laptop on the desk.

"Today, we will start on a new project that you will be working on during the coming three weeks. As everybody knows, the election is coming up and I will give you the chance to dig a little deeper in the world of politics."

Heavy sighs and noises of annoyance erupted in the room, but Regina simply smiled. Politics was something that she was familiar with. Her mother wanted her to become a politician one day, but Regina did not have any desire in becoming one. She wanted to decide over her own future, choosing her own path.

"And before I forget…" Belle said and looked at Regina.

"This is your new classmate, Regina Mills."

Regina turned around and raised the corners of her mouth slightly. The faces of the other students were both curious and emotionless.

Regina was just about to say something when the door swung open. Her mouth suddenly became dry, while her heart started beating faster when her eyes landed on the person who came in through the door.

**From the mind of a metalhead and a Swan Queen shipper! This story takes place in my own hometown here in Sweden, since all the best metal comes from Scandinavia ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Underneath**

The alarm went off; a guitar riff pierced through the speakers of the phone and broke the silence in the bedroom.

Emma cursed loudly and slammed her hand down on the nightstand, grabbed the phone and pressed the snooze button.

_Just a few more minutes_ she told herself. The bed was just too comfortable.

Emma pulled the covers tighter around herself and buried her head in the pillow. She hated Thursdays; it was the only day of the week when her classes began at eight.

_Fuck!_

The birds were chirping happily outside, causing Emma to grit her teeth in annoyance. One day she would probably lose it, open the window and shoot every one of those fuckers who dared to interrupt her sleep. Oh, she would laugh!

Emma's alarm went off again. She repeated the lyrics in her head, knowing every word by heart.

_"Thor! Odin's son  
Protector of mankind  
Ride to meet your fate  
Your destiny awaits"_

_Oh yeah, there is nothing like Death Metal in the morning! _Emma thought while she got out of bed and turned the alarm off. She stretched her stiff muscles and went to her wardrobe to pick the outfit for the day. Quickly deciding for a pair of black leggings and an oversized t-shirt with Within Temptation's logo on it, she quickly dressed and later applied her makeup. She let her trademark golden curls flow down her shoulders. Emma checked the time on her phone and saw that it was already 7:50, which meant that she was going to be late for school.

_Oh well, my teachers are pretty used to me being late anyway._

Emma opened the door to her bedroom and made her way through the apartment she shared with her older brother. She quickly made herself some coffee in the kitchen and decided to skip breakfast. After drinking the coffee, she put the mug in the sink, grabbed her shoulder bag, keys and iPod before closing the front door, prepared for another day of school.

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The long walk always seemed to calm her. It was therapeutic somehow. Emma always enjoyed mornings like this. The stroll through the town and the music coming from the earbuds distracted her from thinking about her chaotic life.

Being abandoned by her real parents when she was a baby and being thrown out of four foster homes had left a cold emptiness in her heart. The rejection and the feeling of not belonging anywhere suffocated her. Luckily, music had saved her life.

Before she was forced to leave her second foster home, her older foster brother gave her a CD. The cover showed a boy on his knees, with a scroll in front of him, and several swans flying away from him. Emma had traced her finger over the Nightwish logo and silently admired the beautiful image.

_Swan_

She decided to call herself that. Emma Swan.

Even though she would be given a new last name in every family that she ended up in, deep down, she would always be a Swan.

That CD changed her life.

Emma crossed the main road and saw the school building ahead. She had a strange feeling that something big was going to happen today. The feeling tingled in her fingertips and caused her steps to quicken.

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Emma opened her locker and threw in her bag and jacket, grabbing her civics book.

_Or is it history? Fuck, I do not know! No wonder my teachers think I am hopeless, I cannot even remember my own schedule. Ah well, just smile!_

Emma closed her locker and went to the door. She saw Belle standing by the whiteboard.

_Just walk in casually._

Stepping over the threshold, Emma could feel that everyone's eyes were on her. Her eyes found Belle's.

"Sorry I am late…my….my… cat was on fire this morning." Emma managed to blurt out without thinking twice.

Laughter erupted in the room and caused Emma's cheeks to turn into a deep, red color.

_Way to go Emma, now everyone will think that you are crazy. _

She saw how Belle bit her lip, trying very hard not to laugh. The teacher cleared her throat.

"Okay…well then… just do not be late next time."

"I promise!"

_Well, that was embarrassing!_

"Emma." a girl in the back of the classroom whispered.

Emma looked in the direction the voice came from and spotted Ruby. The red color still remained on her cheeks as she made her way towards her friend and sat down beside her.

"Your excuses are getting better and better."

"I certainly try."

"So why are you late?"

"The snooze button was just too tempting."

Ruby chuckled and turned her face towards the front of the classroom.

"Belle was just introducing a newcomer."

Emma's eyes landed on the back of the person that Ruby meant.

"Damn"was all that Emma managed to whisper when her eyes travelled over the brunette's hair and down to her shoulders.

_This is very big news indeed._

**If anyone is interested, the song that Emma uses as her alarm is called "Twilight of the Thunder God" by Amon Amarth. And the album that has changed her life is called "Wishmaster" by Nightwish. Nightwish pretty much changed my life too ^^**

**Thank you so much for the reviews/favorites/follows! I really appreciate it :)**

**And I'm really an animal friend, I promise. I just thought that the incident with the birds and the cat sounded funny. I have a really bad sense of humor... **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Unleashed**

"I can do this! Jump, jump! These keys does not work! FUCK!"

Emma slammed her hand down on the table as she watched her character die in the game she was playing. Ruby giggled and squeezed Emma's shoulder slightly.

"Another round?"

"Of course, since when do I give up? I will roll the fat lady to the finish line!"

The computer room was filled with people playing cards, doing homework, eating an early lunch, playing silly games on the computers and so on. This room was the meeting spot for everyone in the corridor, and everyone went here when they did not have to attend any classes.

Emma and Ruby often wasted time here, annoying anyone who tried to do something useful.

"Damnit!"

Ruby giggled at Emma's annoyance once more before she rose from the chair.

"Come on, the class starts in a few minutes."

Emma clenched her fists as she watched her character die once more.

"I hate this game."

"Oh no you do not, you secretly love watching the characters heads and limbs being ripped off."

Emma looked up at the brown haired girl.

"Oh, you know me too well Ruby."

Emma rose from the chair and logged out of the computer. They made their way through the room before entering the corridor. Yellow lockers, and benches covered in blue fabric greeted them.

_63…62…61… There, 60!_

Emma pulled out the key from her bra and opened the locker.

_And where is my book?_

She looked at the mess that was her locker. Papers and books everywhere. She threw some of them around before she found her math- and note book. Emma slammed the door shut and walked up to Ruby.

"She was looking at you."

"Who?"

"Regina, the new girl. She could not stop looking at your ass when you bent down to pick up the papers that fell down to the floor."

Emma blushed slightly and turned around. Regina sat on one of the benches with a book in her hand.

"She likes you."

Emma faced Ruby once again and stared at her in disbelief.

"Oh come on, we have not even said hi to each other yet. Besides, she does not look like someone who would be interested in someone like me."

"Stop with that attitude! Dazzle her with your charm!"

"My what now?!"

The door to the classroom swung open, signaling the start of another lesson.

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_I swear, if she does not stop watching me, she is going to bore two permanent holes in my back._

Regina straightened her back and focused on the white board, trying to suppress the urge to turn around and meet the blonde's green eyes. She would not let anything distract her, and certainly not during her first day in this new school.

Before the class started, she had been taking a walk around the school, finding the cafeteria and the hall where the lunches would be served.

When she returned to the corridor, she found it empty and heard some commotion coming from the room at the end of the hallway. Deciding not to investigate, she opened her locker and grabbed the book she was currently reading. _The Night Circus _was written on the cover. The black and white theme colors on the cover were interrupted by some red and silver. A man and a woman looked over their shoulders at each other.

Regina did not normally read books like these, but the cover immediately drew her attention to it.

She had been reading a few pages when she saw blonde curls in the corner of her eye. Regina nearly had a heart attack when she realized that their lockers were right next to each other. She had been studying Emma's long legs before the blonde suddenly bent down…

The sound of chairs being dragged over the floor brought her out of her musings.

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"_Winternight  
Conceal thy precious angellore  
I secrete my soul  
Under thy wings of sorrow  
Dark I embrace thy eyes  
Wander lost on life's narrow path  
I reveal my heart_

_To this beauty dressed in dark"_

_Nah, not a good walking song_.

Emma pulled out the iPod from her pocket and scrolled through her playlist.

_Found it!_

She pressed play as she rounded the corner of the gas station.

"_And I can't live in a fairytale of lies  
And I can't hide from the feeling 'cause it's right  
And I go faster and faster and faster and faster for life  
I can't live in a fairytale of lies"_

Emma quickened her steps. She passed a large number of houses on her way, all of them looking almost the same. Fences made by bricks, a metal gate, bushes surrounding the small garden, children's toys lying around in immaculate gardens.

_I have never had that._

Emma had never been the small town girl; she had been growing up in several apartments in bigger cities, feeling trapped most of the time. Moving here a year ago had felt good. As soon as she turned 18 she moved out of her foster parent's home, and moved in with August. He had always been like a brother to her.

A large number of apartment complexes came into view.

"_Alone I look for the way  
Hoping you're waiting for me  
Where the hostile world has no say  
That is where I always want to be.  
Where my eyes want to follow  
When I'm far, far away  
When life brings me sorrow  
Into silence I escape." _

The day had been good. Except for her embarrassing excuse, but the sight of the gorgeous brunette made it all better.

Emma made her way up a small hill. People were walking their dogs, and children on their bikes rode past her. Just like any normal day.

Emma opened the door to the entrance and went up two sets of stairs. She turned off her iPod and removed the ear buds from her ears. When she stood in front of her apartment, she grabbed the keys from her bag and used them to open the door.

She kicked off her shoes, and put the keys, bag, and iPod on the small table in the hallway.

Emma went to the kitchen and grabbed a soda from the fridge. When she had closed the fridge, she saw the small note next to the handle.

"_Going to work late. See you later tonight."_

_Since when is he not working late?_ Emma thought to herself. Shrugging it off, she went to her room.

Emma stepped over the threshold and breathed in deeply. This was her safe haven, her sanctuary to which she often escaped. Between these four walls she could let her guard down and just be herself.

During the years, she had managed to put on a mask. A mask of confidence and fearlessness. It kept her safe, and guarded the hurting person behind it. Emma would never let anyone in, eventually they would pull away from her, and with that, rip away the ability to trust another human being. She had made that mistake once.

She would never do it again.

Emma put her soda on the bedside table, grabbed her laptop, and plugged in the speakers. She pushed the power button and watched how the screen came to life. The computer was old and was barely hanging on to life, but Emma only needed it for one thing, and that was music.

She logged into Spotify and began scrolling through her playlists.

_Hmmm, what should I listen to today? Black, Viking, Thrash… nah, something more… oh yes here it is!_

Emma clicked on the name of the song and closed her eyes, goosebumps already appearing on her skin.

"_Just after your Sun went down_

_Into my memories,_

_Never seen through your eyes,_

_Missed by another time_

_Locked helpless in a spider lace,_

_Memories live in forbidden place,_

_Around candle light's Final dance,_

_Call my name and my last chance"_

Emma was lost, completely in the mercy of the beautiful tunes. It was a lovely feeling. She knew the lyrics by heart. She tapped her fingers on her keyboard, mimicked the keyboard and drums that invaded her senses. The deep male vocals, mixed with the soothing operatic female ones, sent chills up and down her body. Emma felt the music on her skin, smooth and beautifully dark.

The song was coming to an end, and Emma knew that she would spend the next twenty minutes repeating the song. Over and over again.

**Thank you for all the reviews/favorites/follows. I really appreciate it!**

**Read **_The Night Circus_**! It's one of the best books I've ever read. I don't know why I chose to incorporate it in this story, maybe because I simply can!**

**Lyric #1: My Lost Lenore by Tristania**

**Lyric #2: Faster by Within Temptation**

**Lyric #3: Home by Unsun**

**Lyric #4: Forbidden Memories by Downcast Art**

**There will be more Swan Queen in the next chapter, I promise! So bear with me!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: All I Need**

Friday evenings were always treated differently than the other evenings of the week. Parties, and relaxing evenings at home took place, the night life was buzzing with laughter and music, children begging their parents for permission to stay up longer, a large number of treats were consumed, and people brought more thought into what the evening dinner would consist of.

Regina on the other hand, would not enjoy any of these things. To her, Friday evenings were just like any other day.

Since Regina's father had passed away when she was eight, her mother had closed off completely. She never laughed anymore and did not give Regina the love and affection she so desperately needed. They drifted apart more and more as the years passed. Regina wanted to hate her; she wanted to scream at her and tell her how much she hurt her.

But when she was close to telling her mother how she felt, the words never managed to escape her tongue.

So she kept quiet, and felt how her heart ached painfully every time she saw her mother.

Regina was so deep in thought that she did not notice the yellow door before it was too late.

_Bam _

Regina's forehead made contact with the cold locker and she let out a surprised gasp while her head started pounding.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry!"

Regina looked up and saw concerned green eyes watching her.

"Are you okay?! Do you need anything? Should I get anyone?"

Regina straightened up and gave her a small smile.

"No thank you, it was my fault after all, I should have been watching where I was going." Regina felt how the pain shot through her head as she spoke, but she was not keen on showing how much it really hurt. She was not going to show weakness, that was something she did not do. Instinctively, she covered the bump with her hand.

Relief washed over Emma's face.

"Let me look at it, maybe it is not so bad."

Regina hesitated at first, but she lowered the hand that covered the bump.

Emma's eyes widened.

"Yeah, that does not look good. Come, we need take care of the swelling." Emma said before she grabbed Regina's hand and made her way towards the bathrooms. It happened so fast that Regina did not have any time to protest before Emma opened the door to one of the bathrooms and made Regina sit down on the lid of the toilet seat. Quickly, Emma grabbed some paper towels and held them under the tap while the cold water soaked them.

"Here" Emma said and placed them gently on Regina's forehead. Regina hissed at the contact, but soon relaxed as she felt how the ice cold water soothed the pain.

"Wait here, I will be right back!" Emma blurted out before she disappeared.

Regina sighed and closed her eyes.

_What a good way to start the day!_

Regina rested her elbows on her knees as she gripped the paper towels tighter.

_Well, you got the blondes attention now. But you have made a fool of yourself and that is not acceptable!_

"Ugh, I know!" Regina answered the little voice in her head.

_Did you see the way she looked at you?! So worried and caring. When was the last time someone looked at you like that? I like her!_

"Oh shut it!"

_I must have hit my head harder than I thought._

Regina quickly suppressed the voices in her head when she heard steps outside the bathroom. She looked up and saw Emma enter, holding a can of mineral water in her hand.

"I thought this would help with the swelling more than some soggy papers. And then, you know, you could drink the water afterwards. It would not be cold, but still."

Emma handed Regina the can and the brunette caught the bright smile that the blonde was giving her. Emma leaned forward and grabbed the now dried up paper towels and threw them in the wastebasket. Carefully, Regina put the can on her forehead and she shivered at the touch, feeling how the pain eased a little again.

"Thank you." Regina said and was surprised by the blush that covered the blonde's pale cheeks.

"You are welcome, it is the least I can do."

There was an awkward silence before Emma spoke up.

"We should probably get to class. I would really not want to be late, I have sort of run out of excuses." Emma said and scratched the back of her head.

Regina could not stop the giggling that followed Emma's words.

"I kind of got that yesterday. I hope your cat is okay."

The blonde started blushing again and looked down on her boots.

"Well yeah, he is tough. He gets into a lot of trouble, but everything turns out alright in the end."

"That sounds good, he must be very lucky."

Another moment passed before the blonde moved towards the door. She turned around and locked eyes with the brunette.

"I will see you later then. Tell me if you feel dizzy or if your head starts to hurt even more, I have been hitting my head a lot more than considered normal, so I am an expert in the area of taking care of headaches."

Regina gave the blonde a genuine smile and held the can closer to the bump on her head.

"Thank you again, Emma."

"No problem, Regina."

And with that, Emma walked out and left the brunette with her thoughts.

_See, she likes you! _

Regina groaned and got up from the toilet seat.

"Get out of my head!" Regina mumbled and made her way towards the classroom for the first and last lesson of the day.

**Thank you for all the reviews/favorites/follows! I really appreciate it!**


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